Bronco baseball alumni

By Jason Cohn

Nearly every year, players from Santa Clara's baseball team are drafted by major league teams to play in their minor league farm systems all over the country.

The players must live and breathe baseball, getting sent all over the country to play in small towns and big cities. They are paid next to nothing and asked to commit everything, all in the hopes that one day they will live out their dream of becoming one of the few who makes it to the Major Leagues. For the ones who do make it, success has come only through a strong work ethic.

Some of the following players are Santa Clara graduates who are starting to enjoy a little success. They are either working their way up through the minors or have already established themselves as major league ball players.

All of these former Broncos share one thing in common that has motivated them to get to the top: their passion for the sport of baseball.

Joey Gomes

While batting an astonishing .408 for the season and also leading his team in hits (97), RBIs (51) and on-base percentage (.443), Gomes was the leading hitter during the 2002 Santa Clara season in a lineup that had four future MLB draft picks.

After graduating in 2002 as a First-Team All-American, Gomes was chosen in the 8th round of the amateur draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was assigned to the Visalia Oaks in the Single-A California League.

As a member of the Oaks, Gomes enjoyed continued success with the bat, hitting .325 with 12 home runs and 86 RBIs through 133 games. Because of his continued progress, Gomes has been promoted to the Portland Beavers in the AAA Pacific Coast League, the highest level of minor league baseball. The season begins in April.

Will Thompson

After just two seasons with the Broncos, Thompson left Santa Clara in 2004 after being drafted and is now playing for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in the Northwest League. Thompson had a monster season last year, batting .384, slugging .492 and knocking in 35 RBIs in just 48 games played. Thompson ranked in the top five in his league in batting, hits and doubles.

Anthony Rea

Rea finished last season as Santa Clara's premier ace with a team-low 2.84 ERA and team-high seven wins and five saves. Rea also racked up 55 strikeouts and four complete games while being named a preseason All-American and West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Month last May.

After graduating last year, Rea signed a free-agent deal with the Oakland Athletics just after the 2005 draft. He was then assigned to the AZL A's of the rookie-level Arizona League. Rea earned his first win on June 29 after throwing four innings as a reliever. Since then, Rea has struggled somewhat with his ERA (7.36), but has amassed 21 strikeouts in just 25 innings pitched.

Randy Winn

Giants fans already know that Santa Clara graduate Randy Winn is thriving in the Major Leagues. After spending two years under coach Dick Davey as Steve Nash's backup guard on the basketball court, Davey convinced Winn to try to make a career for himself in baseball.

After being traded from the Seattle Mariners to the San Francisco Giants last summer, Winn began to put up career numbers, leading the Giants in batting average and playing nearly perfectly in center field. His success with San Francisco earned Winn a one-year, five-million dollar contract extension for the 2006 season.

A.J. LaBarbera

During his first season with Santa Clara, LaBarbera finished fourth in the WCC in hits while starting in all 55 games played. In his senior year, LaBarbera batted a solid .300 while knocking in 30 RBIs. After graduation in 2004, LaBarbera played on the local San Jose Giants Single-A team where he hit .299 and stole 16.

In 2005, LaBarbera was bumped up to the Double-A Norwich Navigators where he enjoyed much success as the starting second baseman, batting .265 with 61 RBIs. LaBarbera will start next season with the Double-A Connecticut Defenders.

Kellen McConnell and Thomas Van Buskirk

McConnell, who led the Broncos in strikeouts, innings pitched, starts and shutouts last season found himself to once again be teammates with fellow pitcher and 2005 graduate Thomas Van Buskirk, who led the team in appearances, mostly as a middle reliever.

Now as relief pitchers for the Spokane Indians, both players had solid first years in the minor leagues. McConnell was second on the Indians in innings pitched with 78 while finishing with a 5.86 ERA and 60 strikeouts with a 6-5 record. Van Buskirk once again led his team in appearances with 22, while holding his ERA down to 3.18 with 22 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched.

Mike Crudale

After graduating from Santa Clara in 1999, Crudale made his first major league appearance in 2002 as a right-handed middle relief pitcher for the Saint Louis Cardinals. In his two seasons in the majors, Crudale has pitched 73 innings with an ERA of 2.09. Crudale is in Spring Training with the Pittsburgh Pirates this year and will attempt to make the team as a middle reliever.

From one year to the next, it is not uncommon for college baseball players who have not become seniors to leave their schools. Many move on from college before graduating, due to the promises of fame and fortune in the big leagues.

Contact Jason Cohn at (408) 551-1918 or jrcohnstead@hotmail.com.